


The Question of Names

by TerraCherry



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 221B Ficlet, 221B drabble, Gen, Names, name origin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-22 00:43:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/603927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraCherry/pseuds/TerraCherry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>221B drabble. John and Sherlock talk about names.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Question of Names

The two inhabitants of 221B Baker Street are sitting in their armchairs reading: Sherlock book and John newspaper when John suddenly says:

“I was wondering… Do you have a middle name?”

Sherlock just raises an eyebrow.

“Just curious. I’m fairly sure you don’t, that would’ve probably come up somehow by now but maybe you do and prefer it not to be known,” John muses.

“Mummy was sensible enough to give me only one odd name, and cruel enough to give me only one odd name.”

“Don’t you like it?”

“It’s just a name, it’s fine.”

“I like your name. While you don’t obviously quite live up to it,” John waves his hand in general direction of Sherlock’s thick dark curls, “I don’t think an extraordinary person like you could have a dull, ordinary name.”

“You looked up its meaning? And that’s silly; Mummy couldn’t possibly have known how I would turn out when she named me and if that’s your logic with names, I find it highly illogical you to have a name that was for a long time the most common name for males in Britain, and very popular in English-speaking countries in general, and is still found in top 100 charts.”

John falls speechless.

“Thanks,” he manages.

Sherlock doesn’t comment, and John can’t see his smile behind the book.

 

**Author's Note:**

> 1) My first 221B drabble. It's harder than you'd think! I have had this scene written in my phone's memo, I had thought to include this in some possible future fic but instead I worked a drabble out of it. I'm very interested in name meanings and etymologies, hence the scene written.
> 
> 2) There are two meanings found for the name Sherlock:  
> \- Derived from a surname meaning "shear lock"; closely cut hair  
> \- Derived from old English word meaning "bright, fair or blond hair"  
> Whichever meaning John came across, it obviously doesn't fit Sherlock. ;) As a given name, Sherlock never gained popularity and nowadays I can imagine why parents avoid giving this name to their child. Too bad, I think the name is very nice!
> 
> 3) The name John owes it popularity to Bible, as you probably know. It has long been the most popular male name in UK. After 1940s the name's popularity has been dropping but it's still in top 100s in UK. It's English form of Latin name Iohannes, which is from Greek Ioannes and which is derived from Hebrew name Yochanan ("Yahweh" [God] is gracious").
> 
> A couple of good links:  
> On names and their meanings: http://www.behindthename.com/  
> Naming trends in UK: http://www.galbithink.org/names.htm


End file.
